A recently built Ellington home is one of the most energy-efficient homes in the state.

The home of Steve and Janis Moser, at 55 Kreyssig Road, Broad Brook (the property, which also contains the Mosers' Sunset Valley Farm, straddles the East Windsor/Ellington line, and the house is in Ellington) was completed in August of 2016 and recently won the 7th annual Zero Energy Challenge.

The Mosers' home had the lowest overall Home Energy Rating Score (HERS) in the challenge, for the extremely efficient home they built, primarily by themselves.

Steve Moser explained that they simply had the desire to build a home as efficient as possible. Five years of planning resulted in construction beginning in March of 2016.

"The idea was to build a home out here, on the farm, and to be as energy-efficient as possible," he said, "so that, when the end day comes, we don't have any energy costs."

The Mosers contacted Eversource, who put them in touch with Earthlight Technologies, LLC and with HERS rater David Koski (like an energy-efficiency construction adviser), to point them in the right direction. Research was done on how to best insulate the house, and what types of heating and energy equipment to put in.

The result was a photo-voltaic array on a nearby barn, and geo-thermal energy to heat the home.

"The only bill I have on this house is a tax bill," Steve said. "We have solar on our barn, which powers the farm, which powers the house. In our house, we have no energy costs."

The home's foundation consists of R21 Insulated Concrete Forms, which means it has insulation on both sides of the eight inches of concrete. Because the walls and attic are so well insulated, ice does not accumulate on the roof.

"This winter, I had zero ice on the roof," he said. "Snow sits up there, but when the wind blows, the snow blows right off."

"We're very meticulous about air sealing," Koski said. "They used a product called Energy Complete on this house. It's almost like a toothpaste – a sticky material that creates a gasket on the top plates and bottom plates. This house has been performing and comfortable."

"It's the little things that make a big difference," Moser said.

"It's not super expensive, but it's a lot of attention to detail," said Enoch Lenge, energy efficiency spokesperson for Eversource.

Before and during construction, consultants, or HERS raters like Koski, give advice on how things should work, to maximize efficiencies.

"For example, they come out when the walls are still open, and make sure things are properly sealed and that penetrations are not cutting through areas where lots of air leaks or moisture are going to occur later on."

"The nice thing about Steve and Jan is that they had in mind what they wanted to do and they did it," Koski said. "My job became very easy here, because his design, from the ground up, was excellent, and the contractors he used – family members and the ones we hired – they knew what they were doing without a doubt, and they executed."

A house that is "buttoned-up tight" doesn't naturally let in fresh air, but there's an answer for that. The home has a ventilation system that senses carbon dioxide levels and brings in fresh air, either heated or cooled, when needed to maintain the balance of both temperature and air quality.

Moser said that the biggest thing was connecting the details between contractors, to make sure they are all on the same page. Surprisingly, the construction didn't take any longer than a typical house would, and it was also done with very little extra costs.

"That's where people get lost in this process," Moser said. "It's nice that Eversource is out, making people in the state aware of this information and programs. You have this utility that is helping make people aware of things."

Lenge said that the yearly contest usually sees between five and 20 entries.

"It works with builders and homeowners who are looking to build a zero-energy home. The goal is to build a home that generates enough electricity to offset what it uses throughout the year," Lenge said, adding that the goal is that the story is shared, so that the relative ease of how it can be done can be seen.

"The hope is that people will take that message, and take the information, and realize that this is something that's repeatable – that it's something that they can do," Lenge said, adding that there are also resources for people who want to make current homes more efficient.

The Residential New Construction Program is available to anyone who is building a new home, and wishes to build to a higher energy performance than code. Incentives from $3,000 to $5,000 are available.